Is the practice of rounding up your final purchase price for a charitable donation a good thing or a bad thing? That is currently a topic that is being hotly debated on social media after a Tik Tok creator shed a different light on what at first blush would seem like a very altruistic endeavor.

Joshua Hoenhne via Unsplash.com
Joshua Hoenhne via Unsplash.com
loading...

You've probably been asked if you'd like to round up your change at many different retailers across the nation. Most of us, since we pay with a credit or debit card, don't even notice the "extra expense". In fact, those of us who like to balance our accounts using round numbers actually prefer the ease of doing math without decimal points.

And, I think we all like supporting organizations that help make our community a better place, too. But is corporate greed taking advantage of our giving nature? Let me refer you to ourTik Tok creator

I don't know @banishedprincess background in financial matters but I do think her observations are closer to reality than not. If you were unable to watch or hear what the Tik Tok creator suggested about rounding up for charity here are her concerns with the practice.

When you round up for a charity that donation is not being made in your name. It will be made under the corporation's name. In other words, the corporation will take the tax credit for making a charitable donation in your name. That means the company will likely have its tax obligation reduced because they are showing large charitable donations on their tax documents. Or will it?

Tim Gouw via Unsplash.com
Tim Gouw via Unsplash.com
loading...

So, the debate comes down to this. Is it better to round up for charity so that charitable organizations will continue to get financial support from large companies or is it better for us to "keep our change" and not allow large corporations to skate on paying taxes because they used our money to give to charity?

It certainly raises a bit of a conundrum because many of us "think" large corporations dodge paying a lot of taxes by manipulating their finances to show losses or contributions just for the sake of getting a larger refund or reducing a tax obligation. I am not saying they are breaking any laws but the lack of scruples among corporate America has been well documented.

Michael Matlon via Unsplash.com
Michael Matlon via Unsplash.com
loading...

So, now that you've heard this different point of view on rounding up for charity, has it changed your opinion? Will you continue to give in that manner? Or, will you change your giving habits to reflect more of your own personal values? Or, will corporate America reduce their gifts to charities because we've stopped funding them?

And what does a tax expert say about the policy? The answer might change your thoughts one more time.

And while you're figuring that out, see if you can figure these out. We live here and we whiffed on a lot of them.

Acadiana Towns With Multiple Pronunciations

In south Louisiana, we sure have a way with words all our own. Add in the Cajun-French influence and you will hear all kinds of different pronunciations coming out of the mouths of folks from Acadiana. How towns are pronounced is no different as illustrated by this list here.

More From News Talk 96.5 KPEL